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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / June 2005Cat Sitting
I was considering doing cat sitting to make some extra money this summer as well as get even more involved in helping cats. There appears to be a big need for it and with my love of cats I figured why not. What does everyone else think? It seems that doing stuff like this is getting to be the big thing now. Of course what is a fair price for the service? I don't want to charge anyone too much if I decide to do it. Hi, where are you located? I agree this is a good idea, no one wants to bring their cats to a kennel and leave them caged up in jail while they're away on holidays enjoying themselves. You should pursue this, just post your advertisement in vets and they'll recommend you. Jacquie I am in Scottsdale, AZ. I am thinking of charging $25 per day for the service which includes 2 visits per day which would include feeding and watering, cleaning litterbox, playing with them, and of course giving them meds (I only know how to do oral meds but not actual injections). I don't want to overcharge anyone and still give them the service they need. > Hi, where are you located? I agree this is a good idea, no one wants to > bring their cats to a kennel and leave them caged up in jail while > they're away on holidays enjoying themselves. You should pursue this, > just post your advertisement in vets and they'll recommend you. > Jacquie > I am in Scottsdale, AZ. I am thinking of charging $25 per day for the > service which includes 2 visits per day which would include feeding and > watering, cleaning litterbox, playing with them, and of course giving them > meds (I only know how to do oral meds but not actual injections). I don't > want to overcharge anyone and still give them the service they need. I am out West, and $25/day is more than what anyone around here charges, including one gal I know who is licensed and insured for this service. Check what the local "kitty condo resorts" charge in your area for daily care. Last year mine charged $12 to $15 a day for one cat. Also, definitely adjust the rate for clients who are well off what could become your regular route, based on the extra mileage. Driving costs and the value of your time (drive time + pet visit time) are probably what you should base the fee on. Figure maybe $7 an hour for your time and maybe $0.15/mile, assuming you have other clients along your route. Or use some other formula for mileage. One person in my area actually charges $20 per hour for her services which includes travel time. I would think $25 per day for two one hour visits (morning, afternoon or evening) would be a good deal. I saw on another message board that someone posted they have a service that comes in for $15 for a 30 minute visit to care for their dogs and cats. Just what is considered a good price here?  SignatureCat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com >> I am in Scottsdale, AZ. I am thinking of charging $25 per day for the >> service which includes 2 visits per day which would include feeding and [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > have other clients along your route. Or use some other formula for > mileage. If this person in your area has a lot of clients, then it seems like the $20 per hour is a good basis for your own rate. $25 for two one-hour visits seems fair. Just my opinion, of course. You can also check your yellow pages for kennels in your area, call a few, and see what they charge, though of course the personal service you're providing arguably should be more than what the kennels charge. Good luck. > One person in my area actually charges $20 per hour for her services which > includes travel time. I would think $25 per day for two one hour visits > (morning, afternoon or evening) would be a good deal. I saw on another > message board that someone posted they have a service that comes in for $15 > for a 30 minute visit to care for their dogs and cats. Just what is > considered a good price here? Well, I decided that for $25 I am going to do two 30 minute visits per day which includes watering, litterbox cleaning, feeding, playing with them and administering oral meds. Would that be a fair deal? SignatureCat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com > If this person in your area has a lot of clients, then it seems like the > $20 [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> for a 30 minute visit to care for their dogs and cats. Just what is >> considered a good price here? > Well, I decided that for $25 I am going to do two 30 minute visits per day > which includes watering, litterbox cleaning, feeding, playing with them > and administering oral meds. Would that be a fair deal? You should adjust the rate based on what the client needs. For instance, some people would only really need you to stop by once a day and there is only one cat, so that charge might be only $10/day. If someone needs twice a day, meds, and there are several cats, then $25/day would be reasonable. -Kelly > Well, I decided that for $25 I am going to do two 30 minute visits per day > which includes watering, litterbox cleaning, feeding, playing with them and > administering oral meds. Would that be a fair deal? Will you be bonded and insured? S. You may want to charge per the visit. Some people only want someone to come in once a day (I prefer twice a day myself). My cat sitter charges $10 per visit which includes picking up the mail, watering plants, little things like that. I think $10 a visit is pretty cheap so I always tip my sitter. Good luck. I think there is a great need for cat sitters out there. S. >I am in Scottsdale, AZ. I am thinking of charging $25 per day for the >service which includes 2 visits per day which would include feeding and [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >> just post your advertisement in vets and they'll recommend you. >> Jacquie My cat sitter charges $20/hr. Stays for 45 minutes and 15 minutes for driving. Mine charges £12 for 2 visits per day, plus £2 for each injection, which I think is a bit steep as it only takes about an extra 1 minute to do it, but she's a vet nurse and most of my friends/neighbours won't do the injection part. I have one friend who the cat loves big time so he does it when he can. The nurses are good though, very professional and they leave a detailed report when I get back, they also change the litter and will do other things if required but charge extra. A nice little earner all round really, if you have a few in the same area, can work out to earning about £60 an hour, but I suppose it's not regular. How much is that in U.S. Dollars? SignatureCat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com Mine charges £12 for 2 visits per day, plus £2 for each injection, which I think is a bit steep as it only takes about an extra 1 minute to do it, but she's a vet nurse and most of my friends/neighbours won't do the injection part. I have one friend who the cat loves big time so he does it when he can. The nurses are good though, very professional and they leave a detailed report when I get back, they also change the litter and will do other things if required but charge extra. A nice little earner all round really, if you have a few in the same area, can work out to earning about £60 an hour, but I suppose it's not regular. About 109 > About 109 I love a mystery. :) Still, if you would like people to know which post your are responding to, perhaps you would consider leaving a snippet of that post in your reply. >> About 109 > >I love a mystery. :) > >Still, if you would like people to know which post your are responding to, >perhaps you would consider leaving a snippet of that post in your reply. But sweetheart where would the mystery be then......?? Brad LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY IN A WELL-PRESERVED BODY, BUT RATHER TO SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT, SHOUTING... " HOLY @#$%... WHAT A RIDE!" > I was considering doing cat sitting to make some extra money this summer as > well as get even more involved in helping cats. There appears to be a big > need for it and with my love of cats I figured why not. What does everyone > else think? It seems that doing stuff like this is getting to be the big > thing now. Of course what is a fair price for the service? I don't want to > charge anyone too much if I decide to do it. Our pet sitters charge 20 dollars per visit. That includes 30 minutes: scooping litter, giving meds, giving food/water, bringing in mail, papers, watering plants. They are members of NAPS (national asscn of pet sitters) and are bonded and insured. They keep a key for each client and have a passcode for the security alarm. They bring their own scooping bags. If a pet is sick they will bring him to the vet too. They also leave a note each day. For dogs, they charge 22 a visit. Also, they offer discounts if you buy visits in bulk. HTH! Beth I read on one Web Site that unless you have employees other than yourself then bonding isn't necessary and completely worthless. Apparently the person who wrote it investigated the bonding process. Here is the addy http://www.eagleid.com/djenter/ins.htm. The site said that insurance is a good idea but half the time it isn't affordable and when something happens the sitter usually pays out of their own pocket rather than pay the deductable. It made for a very interesting read. SignatureCat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs! www.panthertekit.com <bethmeryle@yahoo.com> wrote in message > Our pet sitters charge 20 dollars per visit. That includes 30 minutes: > scooping litter, giving meds, giving food/water, bringing in mail, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > HTH! Beth >I read on one Web Site that unless you have employees other than yourself >then bonding isn't necessary and completely worthless. Apparently the person [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >the sitter usually pays out of their own pocket rather than pay the >deductable. It made for a very interesting read. You may never need it, but it tells the customers that you are serious as a business and professional. It's to help you with the trust factor. You aren't going to fob them while they are gone, and you aren't going to sue them if their dog bites you, or you fall down their stairs. Signature-- Meghan & the Zoo Crew Equine and Pet Photography http://www.zoocrewphoto.com > > I was considering doing cat sitting to make some extra money this summer as > > well as get even more involved in helping cats. There appears to be a big > > need for it and with my love of cats I figured why not. What does everyone > > else think? It seems that doing stuff like this is getting to be the big > > thing now. Of course what is a fair price for the service? I don't want to > > charge anyone too much if I decide to do it. <snipped> > If a pet is sick they will bring him to the vet > too. Yes. Also, I always leave a dated & signed "release" note, giving my pet sitter permission to seek & obtain veterinary treatment in my absence, promising to pay any bills incurred upon my return. > They also leave a note each day. Oh, yes - I forgot to mention this in my other post. My sitter doesn't do this anymore - for me (I've been with her for many years) - although she sometimes leaves a one-time note at the end of the visits, but at least with new clients she leaves a detailed note describing how each visit went. Cathy > I was considering doing cat sitting to make some extra money this summer as > well as get even more involved in helping cats. There appears to be a big > need for it and with my love of cats I figured why not. What does everyone > else think? It seems that doing stuff like this is getting to be the big > thing now. Of course what is a fair price for the service? I don't want to > charge anyone too much if I decide to do it. My pet sitter charges between $8 - 12 (perhaps as high as $15??, but if so, only for new clients &/or those far from her own home)per visit, no matter if there's one pet or several, whether just plain basic care is needed, or if the animal(s) need(s) meds. She visits however many times/day is requested by the clients. Her fees are based on how long the person's been with her as a client, & how far she needs to travel to get to the client's house. So, if I hire her to come in 2x/day, I pay her $20/day. If only once/day, then $10. Technically, since I'm a long-time client & live relatively close to her, she's charges me $8 per visit, but I round it to $10. She visits potential clients before the first sitting job, learning about the pets, any special needs - incl. meds/sub-Q fluids, where all of the supplies are kept, routines, etc. And how to handle the house key is discussed. She also brings in the mail & will water the flower boxes for me. She's insured & bonded. And leaves a supply of her business cards in the waiting area of the vets' office where she's a client (as am I). Cathy I don't want to > charge anyone too much if I decide to do it. What is your competition charging. (pet hotels) Then just bump it down, based on the level of involment. If giving meds you would want a little more, as this requires experience You would have a base price, and just a tad more for each additional cat. You can tell your potential customers, that petting is free. |
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